U.S. maternity leave sucks!

If I ever get pregnant with a third child I’m packing up my family and moving to Sweden. Why? Because both moms and dads are entitled to 18 months paid leave from the government. That’s a year-and-a-half of cuddling with baby at home and receiving a paycheck. Does it get any better? Well, yes, Sweden also provides subsidized childcare and flexible work hours to accommodate working families.

I would also consider France, where mothers can take 16 weeks paid maternity leave for the first child and up to 26 weeks for the third. Childcare is subsidized, and a $1,300 grant is paid at the seventh month of pregnancy. Families also receive train, subway and tax breaks.

I learned all of this from reading a recent article in The San Francisco Chronicle,“European nations offer incentives to have kids.” Elizabeth Bryant reports that countries across Europe are aggressively pushing pro-baby policies in an attempt to raise dropping birth rates. The result is great perks for new parents.

In the United States, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) offers most workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected medical leave for birth or adoption. California’s Paid Family Leave Act provides moms and dad with some money but it’s paltry compared to what the Swedes are getting. (For a summary of California’s maternity leave policy, click here where you’ll find a chart created by an SFGate visitor.)

I took four months off work after the birth of my first child, Paris, and only three months after my second. Between saved up vacation and money from California’s Paid Family Leave Act, I collected nearly my full salary during both leaves. I would have loved to take six months, or gosh even a year, to bond with and nurture my children, but we couldn’t afford it. If only I had been living in Paris.

What do you think of the maternity policy in the United States? How much time did you take? Would you have liked more time? Was your employer supportive?